This blog's claim to no-fame will involve cognitive science abduction in pursuit of the philosophical intent to make life easily more understandable for both lay and academic purposes.
Please read the first post to understand my intentions for this blog: http://isthismindmaterial.blogspot.com/2013/01/starting-blog-for-first-time.html

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The CoP; Happiness and Knowledge revisited

I string together three popular statements (cliches) to introduce how I view the normalcy of human thought:

"Ignorance is bliss - Knowledge is power - With great power, comes great responsibility..."

The
idea that not-knowing or being unaware can make us happy, immediately
seems absurd and illogical. However, there may be no greater truth.

Upon
posting my cycle of psyche theory, there will be a stipulation of
"knowledge v. happiness" - this entire section of theory is dedicated to
the idea and procedure of 'happiness' and what knowledge makes us
continually happy and/or can make us depressed...

Yet,
happiness is the most thought-provoking state of mind, in which the
psychology world attempts to answer... Go to any book store, in the
psych. section, to find a great number of 'self help' books. A waste of
money if you ask me, because you were most likely happier before you
read the book than afterwards if this quote stands through
intellection....

So ignorance (denying information and
not seeking information) = bliss (a state of mind), but how? Well, no
greater culture than an American one to provide examples of such a
mathematical formula. Do you know how money works? Do you understand
economics? Do you understand what a money market economy pertains to?
(Do not take 'you' to heart, if YOU do!)

My point
simply is... Americans (and am assured many more nations) live their
lives within systems and ideologies which they are never taught to
question, and/or dedicate much effort to question... Although these
systems and ideologies guide our individual life styles and culture. How
money works effects you and I in order to participate fully in our
capitalistic system. Yet, there is no education program/curriculum for
secondary school about our economic system. Those who are lucky enough
to learn from family or in undergraduate college... Will be better
prepared for future living in the U.S.

No simple point
can be made really... in short: majorly, not a whole lot of people
understand the above topics and issues... Are they dismayed by their
lack of knowledge? I would argue the contrary, therefore most 'do not
care to know' about economics and politics even... And if they do, the
politics is superficial gossip with no real political philosophy behind
the effort.

It is easier to not worry, to not stress or
to at least try to be concerned with current events... It is easy to
say "I don't know, never had an interest in the topic" although we live
everyday lives based on such topics...

Ignorance is
blissful, because when you figured out enough to 'think/feel' you got
life figured out, or a good personal ritual going on... You do not care
about alternatives, because immediately you are happy. Not worried
about the future of your happiness, because the future is later... Not
now!

(The parental dilemma - the desire to create a
future for your children, comes most often after you have your children,
but every parent has this desire. *** So, if everyone knows they will
have this desire, why do they do so little to worry about it?)

As
far as our culture: We are one who does not care about the future in
the norm, therefore individuals will not care to focus on life long
goals, and rather immediate happiness satisfying..

As
for every individual: Happiness does not come from making happiness the
goal... Happiness comes from creating a path which allows personal
betterment. Ignorance prevents the goal from being a futuristic one...
But, very successful at providing immediate happiness, because those who
are blissfully ignorant are those who making happiness the goal, and
not goals which allow happiness.

If not knowing allows
happiness, than more knowledge must creates dismay... Interesting,
because of nihilism (as we are prone to stack downwards)! And, knowledge
is power! A higher degree of self actualization and social acceptance
(another part of CoP) may existentially create dysphoric states of
minds.... Is that necessarily bad? Well, with great power comes great
responsibility... The knowledge that knowledge may bring you down should
be both pleasing and cautionary... Good, because more existential power
and bad because one may ultimately become more and more desensitized
(less emotional) about superficial knowledge... (That flower is
stupid!) One must prepare and be prepared to filter through piles of
useless knowledge (shit) and figure out what connects and is
substantial... That's an individual responsibility, but at the same
time, society should work to educate the above! But, it all starts with
individuals doing so first!

I see very few problems
with eliminating some happiness in trade for eternal happiness... in a
sense, you trade childish interpretations of the metaphysical and
ideological ... (blissful ignorance)... for deep and challenging notions
which come from further (re)interpretations of the said...

This
was more of a rant than anything, as time goes on... I will focus these
thoughts into others... But, ignorance is the enemy (disease) and in an
existential extension (for me), a lot of sources of happiness are
destructive for the future development of long lasting happiness an
individual and society require to be successful after death... (by such I
mean, so successful there next generation will succeed from
indoctrination and tradition hand downs).